Water closet combination



Feb. 15, 1938. B. 0'. TILDEN WATER CLOSET COMBINATION 2 She etS eSheet 1Fi led Dec. 31, 1936 mmzgi INVENTOR 55/??? 0.77.4 5 v BY ATTORNEY B. O.TILDEN WATER CLOSET COMBINATION Felt. 1-5, 1938.

2 sheets-sheet? Filed Dec. 31, 1956 INVENTOR BERT O. 77L DEN ATTORNEYPatented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

My invention relates to water closet combinations and particularly tocombinations of the close connected type, wherein the tank is secured toand rests upon or is supported by the bowl.

Close connected water closet combinations as heretofore constructed haveeither been of the type shown in my issued Patent No. 1,867,118, datedJuly 12, 1932, wherein the tank is secured to the bowl by means ofbolts, the heads of which rest upon the bottom of the tank and projectdownwardly therefrom and extend through bolt holes formed in arearwardly extending portion of the seat shelf, or they have been of thetype wherein the tank is secured to the bowl by means of a bolt which iscarried by a spider secured to the shank of the valve member andextending downwardly through an opening in the earthenware below theshank.

In each of these constructions it is necessary to employ some means forpreventing leakage of water about the attaching bolts. In constructions.of the type shown in my issued patent, this is accomplished by providinghousings or washers within the tank for covering or sealing the openingsthrough which the bolts extend, whereas constructions employing a boltextending through the shank of the valve member require the use of awasher for sealing the opening in the earthenware below the shank,through which the attaching bolt extends. There is always danger thatconstructions in which a washer is used will leak, particularly afterthe construction has been installed for some time, whereas the provisionof housings within the tank requires a construction that is slightlymore expensive than are standard water closet tanks. Furthermore,conventional tanks of the type secured to the wall are not adapted foruse in close connected combinations of the type shown in my issuedpatent because the necessary bolt holes are not present in the tank,whereas conventional bowls cannot be used in producing close connectedconstructions having a bolt passing through the shank of the valvemember because the necessary bolt hole in the bowl is not present. Itis, therefore, necessary for the manufacturer, when marketing eithertype of close connected combination, to produce a special tank or aspecial bowl or both must be specially constructed in order that 'he maysupply both close connected combinations and wall-hung tankcombinations.

In accordance with my invention, these objections to constructions ofthe prior art are overcome and means are provided for securing a tank toa bowl to produce a close connected combination without employing anymeans extending through water receiving portions of the construction.Washers and special housings, therefore, need not be used and all dangerof leakage is eliminated. My invention also renders it possible toconnect any conventional type of tank to either a bowl of the type nowused in producing close connected combinations, such as that of myissued patent, or to a bowl of the type used in ordinary wall-hung tankcombinations. Thus the manufacturer may reduce the number and style ofpieces produced and may effect a substantial saving in manufacturingoperations. Moreover, the plumber can install the fixture without theuse of special tools and may replace one tank with another of adifferent style or design in making repairs.

In those forms of my invention shown in the drawings and hereinafterdescribed more fully for the purpose of illustrating typicalapplications of my invention, an attaching member is secured to the tankand securing means such as bolts or the like engage the attaching memberand the bowl to secure the attaching member and the tank to the bowl.The attaching member may conveniently be threaded onto the exterior ofthe projecting shank of the valve member located in the tank and may besecured to the bowl by suitable bolts or other securing means.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a novel type ofattaching means for securing a water closet tank to a bowl to produce aclose connected water closet combination.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel combination of awater closet tank and bowl with means located entirely outside of thewater receiving portions of the construction for securing the tank tothe bowl.

A further object of my invention is to eliminate the use of washers,housings, or other means for preventing leakage about the bolts or othermeans employed for securing a tank to a bowl in a close connected watercloset combination.

Another object of my invention is to provide attaching means adapted forsecuring a conventional tank of the type ordinarily secured to the wallto the bowl of a water closet to provide a close connected water closetcombination.

These and other objects and features of my invention will appear fromthe following description thereof, in which reference is made to theaccompanying figures of the drawings, wherein I have illustrated typicalembodiments of my invention. It will be understood, however, that othermeans embodying the principle of my invention may be employed and thatmy invention is not limited to the particular constructions hereinillustrated and described.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a water closet tankand bowl, wherein the tank is secured to the bowl in accordance with myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a water closet tank having attaching meansembodying my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a conventional type of water closet bowl toWhich a tank may be secured by the use of an attaching member such asthat shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of one form of attaching means embodying myinvention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of an alternative form of attaching meansembodying my invention;

Fig. 6 is a side view of a portion of a tank and bowl showing analternative form of attaching means adapted for use in securing a tankto a water closet bowl;

Fig. 7 is a perspective of a tank having the attaching means illustratedin Fig. 6 applied thereto;

Fig. 8 is a perspective of an ordinary type of top inlet bowl to which atank may be connected in accordance with my invention; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective of the form of attaching means illustrated inFigs. 6 and 7.

In that form of my invention chosen for purposes of illustration inFigs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, a tank 2 is secured to a bowl 4, such asthat shown in Fig. 3. The bowl is of a conventional type now used inproducing close connected water closet combinations and is formed with arearward extension 8, in which an upwardly facing inlet 8 is located.Bolt holes H] are provided for securing a seat hinge to the bowl andadditional bolt holes l2 are provided in the extension 8 on either sideof the inlet 6 for receivingbolts for attaching the tank to the bowl.The bolt holes l2 do not extend through water receiving portions of thefixture but extend only through laterally projecting flange portions Mof the extension 8. Beads 16 are provided on the rearward extension 8-projecting a short distance above the face of the extension to supportthe tank 2 and provide a small space between the tank and bowl in whichthe usual lock nut for the valve member is located.

The tank is provided with the usual valve construction l8 having athreaded shank 2|], which extends downward through an opening 22 in thebottom of the tank and into the opening 6 in the rearwardly extendingportion 8 of the bowl. The valve member may be of any conventional ordesired type and, if desired, may be countersunk into the lower surfaceof the inside of the tank or may be provided with a lug or other meansto prevent rotation of the valve member as is common practice in suchconstructions. The valve member is provided with a flange 24 and theusual bevel washer 26, which rests against the bottom of the tank toseal the opening 22. The construction of the tank, bowl, and valvemember, above described, are well known in the art and do not inthemselves constitute features of the present invention except as theyare used in combination with other features of the combination.

The threaded portion of the shank 20' extending through the opening 22preferably is surrounded by a friction ring 28, which bears directlyagainst the lower surface of the tank on the outside thereof, and anattaching member bears against the friction ring. In constructionsembodying my invention the attaching member may be secured in place bythe usual lock nut heretofore employed for drawing the valve memberagainst the bevelled washer in the bottom of the tank to seal theopening 22. However, I prefer to replace the lock nut altogether and toemploy in its place an attaching member 3!) having a central opening 32threaded internally to engage the shank 2B. The member 30 then may bescrewed tightly against the friction ring 28 to draw the flange 24against the washer 26 and secure the valve member to the tank just asthe usual lock nut heretofore employed has been used.

The attaching member may be of any suitable form and construction but,as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, it is provided with laterally extendingears 34, which are slotted at 36 and recessed at 38 to receive the heads40 of bolts 42 or other securing means. The bolts 42 extend downwardlythrough the bolt holes [2 in the flanges I 4 on the extension 8 andproject beneath the flanges to receive washers 44 and wing nuts 46 orother means for securing the bolts in place. These bolts may be of anysuitable type such as the inexpensive stock bolts used for floorflanges.

Any suitable sealing means may be provided between the shank 20 of thevalve member and the bowl, such as the conventional bevelled washer 48,carried by the shank and located between the attaching member 30 and theupper face of the extension 8. The washer is drawn down tightly againstthe opening '6 in tightening the bolts 42, so that the opening 6 issealed and leakage at this point prevented.

When the bolts 42 are tightened to secure the attaching member 30 to thebowl, they also serve to secure the tank to the bowl with the tankresting upon the beads E6 on the rearwardly projecting portion 8 andwith the attaching member lying in the space between the bottom of thetank and the upper face of the projecting portion 8. The weight of thetank is thus carried by the bowl and the tank is held in a levelposition by the attaching member and bolts 42.

In some instances it is found that the beads H5 or the bottom of thetank or both have warped in firing the fixture, so that if the tank isforced down tightly against the beads IE it will not be level.Heretofore this has been corrected by grinding the surfaces of the beadsIE or the bottom of the tank or both, whereas the attaching means of thepresent invention render it possible to overcome this difficulty simplyby drawing one of the bolts 42 tighter than the other, so that one sideof the bevelled washer 48 is compressed more than the other. The tankmay be levelled in this way without any grinding operation and at aconsiderable saving in time and expense.

With the construction shown in Fig. 4, the bolts 42 may be inserted inthe slots 36 with their heads in recesses 38 after the attaching memberhas been threaded onto the shank 20 of the valve member and tightened tohold the valve member in place. The slots 38 permit the bolts to bemoved laterally to fit into holes l2 which are spaced differentdistances apart or which are not accurately located with respect to theopening 6, so that slight differences in position arising duringmanufacture do not interfere with the attaching of the tank to the bowl.

If the manufacturer should desire to ship'the tank with the valve membersecured in place and with the bolts carried by the attaching member theattaching member of Fig. may be used. This construction difiers fromthat of Fig. 4 in that the member 58 has elongated openings 52countersunk at 54 to receive the heads of bolts 56, instead of the slots36 of the construction of Fig. 4. With this construction the bolts 58are inserted in the openings 52 before the attaching member is screwedup against the tank to draw the valve member and washer against thebottom of the tank on the inside thereof. Thereafter, the bolts 58cannot be removed or lost without unscrewing the attaching member, sothat the tank may be shipped ready for installation Without danger oflosing the bolts.

Those forms of my invention described above and illustrated in Figs. 1to 4 and 5 are particularly adapted for use in securing a tank ofconventional construction such as those ordinarily secured to the wallto a toilet bowl of the type now used in producing close connected watercloset combinations and in which the bowl is provided with a rearwardlyextending portion having bolt holes therein.

In that form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9 of thedrawings, I have shown means for securing a tank to a bowl of the typeillustrated in Fig. '7, which rep-resents a typical bowl of the topinlet type which does not provide bolt holes in the rearward extensionbut does have bolt holes for receiving the bolts which secure the seathinge to the bowl. In this alternative construction the bowl 60 isprovided with a rearwardly extending portion 82 in which the upwardlyfacing inlet 64 is located and into which the shank 86 of a valve member68 extends.

An attaching member 14 employed in this construction may be used forsecuring the valve member to the tank, as in the previously describedforms of my invention, and may be secured to the bowl by means of bolts18 which also serve to secure the hinge for the ordinary seat and coverto the bowl. The attaching member preferably is formed with a centralopening 18 threaded internally to engage the shank of the valve memberand with forwardly extending arms 88, which are ofiset downwardly at 82,so that they extend beneath the flange 84 in which the bolt holes 88 areformed so as to be concealed by the flange. The forward ends of the arms80 are provided with holes 88 for receiving the bolts 16 or other meanswhich serve to attach the hinge for the seat or cover to the bowl. Theusual washers 92 and nuts 94 or other securing means employed forholding the bolts 16 and hinge 96 in place on the bowl, serve also tohold the arms 88 tightly against the under surface of the flange 84 onthe bowl, thereby securing the tank firmly in position on the bowl.Preferably, the rearward portion of arms 80 are also provided withscrews 98 or other means located rearwardly of the hinge bolts I6 andadapted to bear against the lower surface of the flange 84, so that theyact as fulcrums. Then after the hinge bolts are tightened to draw theforward ends of the arms 80 up toward the flange 84, the rearward partof the arms and the attaching member may be drawn downward by screws 88to urge the tank against the bowl and insure a tight joint between theshank and the bowl.

With this construction a standard form of tank adapted to be secured tothe wall may instead be secured directly to a bowl of conventional type,which also is customarily used in a wall-hung tank combination, yetthese fixtures may be secured together to produce a close connectedcombination by the use of simple attaching means. The manufacturer,therefore, may produce a single line of goods and these may be installedas desired by the purchaser, either as a wall-hung or close connectedcombination by the use of suitable attaching means located entirelyoutside of the water receiving portions of the construction.

While I have illustrated and described, herein, certain typicalembodiments of my invention, it will be apparent that the form andconstruction thereof may be changed in order to utilize my inventionwith other types or other designs of tanks and bowls than those shown.Obviously, therefore, various changes in the construction and manner ofapplying attaching members may be desirable in utilizing my invention onother types of toilet tanks and bowls without departing from the spiritof my invention. It should, therefore be understood that those forms ofmy invention, herein shown and described, are intended for the purposeof illustrating my invention and are not intended to limit the scopethereof.

I claim:

1. In combination with a water closet bowl having a tank supportedthereby, means for securing the tank in position on the bowl locatedentirely outside of the water receiving portions of the combination, athreaded member carried by the tank to which said means is secured andanother threaded member engaging said means for securing said means tothe bowl.

2. In a close connected water closet combination embodying a tank, a topinlet bowl, and a valve member located in said tank and having a portionprojecting from the bottom thereof into the inlet in said bowl, anattaching member secured to the exterior of the projecting portion ofsaid valve member and located entirely outside of the water receivingportions of the combination and bolts engaging said attaching member andbowl to secure said attaching member and the tank to said bowl.

3. In a close connected water closet combination embodying a tank, abowl and means for supporting the tank on the bowl providing a spacetherebetween, an attaching member secured to the tank and located insaid space and outside of the water receiving portions of thecombination and bolts engaging the attaching member and the bowl forsecuring the attaching member and the tank to the bowl.

4. In a close connected water closet combination embodying a tank, a topinlet bowl, and a valve member located in the tank and having a shankextending from the bottom of said tank into the inlet in the bowl, anattaching member threaded to the exterior of the shank and locatedoutside of the water receiving portions of the combination and securedto the bowl for holding the tank in position on the bowl.

5. In combination with a water closet bowl having a top inlet and a tankhaving a valve member with a shank projecting therefrom into said inlet,means spacing said tank from said bowl, an attaching member secured tothe shank and located in the space between said tank and bowl andoutside of the water receiving portions of the combination and securingmeans engaging the attaching member and the bowl for securing theattaching member and the tank to the bowl to. produce a close connectedcombination.

6. In combination with a water closet bowl having a rearward extensionprovided with a top inlet and with beads for supporting a tank, a tankresting on said beads and having a valve member with a shank projectingtherefrom into said inlet, an attaching member threaded onto said shanksecuring the valve member to the tank and located in the space betweenthe tank and the bowl and entirely outside of the water receivingportions of the combination and bolts engaging the attaching member andprojecting through openings in the rearwardly extending portion of thebowl for securing the attaching member and the tank to the bowl toproduce a close connected combination.

'7. In a close connected water closet combination embodying a bowlhaving a rearward extension with a top inlet and a tank supported bysaid bo-wl having a valve member therein provided with a threaded shankextending into said inlet, the combination of an attaching memberthreaded onto said shank for securing said valve member to said tank,said attaching member being located entirely outside of the waterreceiving portions of the combination having arms projecting fromopposite sides thereof formed with openings for receiving bolts, andbolts extending through the openings in said arms and throughcomplementary openings in said bowl for securing the attaching member tosaid bowl.

8. In combination with a Water closet bowl having bolt holes forreceiving bolts to secure a seat hinge to the bowl and having a portionextending rearwardly of the bolt holes, a tank resting on saidrearwardly extending portion, an attaching member secured to the tankand extending forwardly therefrom to register with said bolt holes andsecuring means extending through said bolt holes for securing saidattaching member and said tank to said bowl to produce a close connectedcombination.

BERT O. TILDEN.

